Kingstone Bookstore’s Chengzhong branch on Taipei’s Chongqing South Road, known as “book street,” is pictured on April 27.位於台北市「書街」重慶南路上的金石堂城中店，照片攝於四月二十七日。

Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Liberty Times照片︰自由時報記者黃耀徵

Kingstone Bookstore’s Chengzhong branch on Chongqing South Road, Taipei’s “book street,” is closing down next Sunday after more than 30 years of business. Kingstone has rented this century-old Western-style building, built in 1912, since the 1980s. For many, the building is full of fond memories.

Kingstone said that the focus of the entire “book street” has shifted from bookstores to business hotels and the dining sector, so the landlord decided not to renew the lease. The branch is having a big sale, offering free coffee to shoppers who buy books, to express its gratitude.

Although 151 bookstores from across the country have shut up shop in the past four years, some, such as Tsutaya Bookstore from Japan, are still going thanks to a complex business model. In the face of the current trend, Eslite Bookstore also announced last month its intention to innovate its current business model and actively develop more personalized services.